I was tucked away in bed getting ready to fall asleep when something in my head said, “Look over your news feed one more time.” I grabbed my phone, hit Facebook and scrolled through updates when I saw a friend post something about “KONY”. Unfamiliar with it, I decided to click on it and find out what the late night fuss was about when I was directed to a 30 minute video titled “KONY 2012” (below). God knows at 1:30 in the morning I had no plans to watch a 30 minute video on my phone but I gave it a chance. Unsure of the point of the film, I waited and waited and then like a ton of bricks I got the message loud and clear:

MAKE KONY FAMOUS!

The Background.
In the 30 minute film, you’re given access to activism at its finest. Director Jason Russell (right) introduces you to the unthinkable 26 year-long crime in Uganda carried out by Joseph Kony (above) and his rebel group the Lord Resistance Army (L.R.A.). Under Kony’s dictatorship, the army has kidnapped and brainwashed over 30,000 children, turning girls into sex slaves and boys into child soldiers who are forced to mutilate people’s faces and kill their own parents. Kony’s violent impact to the people of Uganda has been so severe that he is currently #1 on the International Criminal Court list of the world’s worst criminals based on the severity of his crimes. To bring it all home, Jason shows his friendship with a Ugandan teen named Jacob and the detrimental impact the L.R.A has had on his life. Jason promises to find a way to bring down Kony. That promise developed into an organization which Jason co-founded called Invisible Children and global movement known as KONY 2012.

KONY 2012

The Dilemma.
If more people in the world vocalized their desire to have Kony stopped, he would have been arrested by now. Even though the U.S. government is aware of Kony, they’ve remained at a distance to some degree since “our national security or interest is not at stake”. But human life is at stake. Think about this happening to your little siblings, cousins, children, or even you pet being abducted and placed in the same conditions as these kids. When the roles are switched and the scenario affects you, it becomes a problem. Jason explains it effortlessly by saying, “Where you live shouldn’t determine whether you live”. No longer waiting on the government, Individual Children and its supporters have made great strides to advance and protect Ugandan communities by building schools, creating jobs, and installing radio networks to update them in preparation for an attack. But it hasn’t been enough because Kony is remains and can still abduct children and kill innocent people. The only way to send troops into Uganda with the technology and equipment necessary to find and arrest Kony we must show that we want him to be stopped.

The Deal.
The only way to send troops to Uganda is to spread the word by joining the KONY 2012 global movement. I am beyond awestruck by this movement. With ‘life’ as the motivator of the campaign, KONY 2012 is a perfectly crafted global marketing campaign that some of the biggest brands couldn’t design let alone receive such engagement for people. It’s marketing and advertising that weaves into viral, grassroots, guerrilla, experiential, word of mouth, promotion, mobile, print, sales, non-profit, and interactive avenues. Invisible Children has hit it on the head in every medium and it is possibly the best of its kind. In its totality, this campaign has created a movement that has the potential to define a generation, end injustice, and rehabilitate lives.

Your Part.
In order to arrest Kony, you must show that you want him arrested by voicing your opinion. What makes this unique is that Invisible Children is asking you to make Kony famous in order to bring him down. While Invisible Children is targeting culture and policy makers like musicians, celebrities, and political figures to bring him down you can spread the word to your friends. In the hyper social media world that we live in today, you are an update, tweet, and hash tag away from getting the Kony message out to more people. Even better is that you can spread the movement everywhere you go by purchasing posters ($5, above) or the Kony 2012 Action Kit ($30) through the Invisible Children Store. The kit includes posters, stickers, buttons, a t-shirt and a Kony bracelet(left). All the work executed by the organization, myself, and of course you will come together one night in April.

Cover the Night Event.
On Friday April 20th, 2012 Invisible Children wants everyone to blanket every street in every city at sundown in the Cover the Night Event (below). As the world goes to sleep, supporters will stay out throughout the night covering their city with Kony paraphernalia so the world wakes up to their city standing up for a cause. This movement plans to create a flash mob, but realistically a flash mob is what you see in Times Square when Gap wants to show off their work out pants via dance. Instead I like to think of what the Invisible Children plan to do as a Blazing Horde!!! It will use as many people as possible to demand attention, action, justice all to make Kony famous.

Do It.
Kony must be made known worldwide and every blog post, status update, tweet, or conversation helps. If you can voice your opinion about your political beliefs or take a picture of your dinner, then you most certainly can devote your voice to make Kony famous.

Watch the film, become a part of the movement, and spread the word. I know I have and I will!

MAC Cosmetics just launched a new global campaign for its VIVA GLAM product line. As the backbone to the MAC AIDS Foundation, VIVA GLAM’s limited edition makeup line donates every cent of its sales to the MAC AIDS Fund which helps support those living with HIV/AIDS and educating people on how to prevent the spread of the disease. To bring awareness to the campaign and the products, MAC pulls in popular celebrities as the ambassadors of their bold line. Since the start of the foundation and campaign in 1994, ambassadors have included RuPaul, Pamela Anderson, Sir Elton John, Missy Elliott, Dita Von Teese, and Christina Aguilera. This year, that roster will include rapper Nicki Minaj and singer Ricky Martin. With its newest ambassadors, VIVA GLAM introduced Nicki Minaj’s pink lipstick ($14.50) and Ricky Martin’s lip conditioner ($15.00) to U.S. stores February 15th and internationally next month.

John Demsey, Chairman of MAC AIDS Fund and Group President of Estee Lauder Companies (parent of MAC Cosmetics) explains that the foundation has raised over $235 million from the sales of VIVA GLAM to date. The primary goal with Nicki and Ricky at the forefront is to raise at least $250 million by this July. VIVA GLAM selected the two musicians as the face of this year’s campaign due to their connection to the cause. Since 2009, over 2 million people in Latin America are living with HIV and the Caribbean is the second most affected region with people between 15-24 years old affected. Ricky and Nicki’s Latin American and Caribbean heritage (respectively) make them perfect to represent the brand, speak on behalf of the campaign, and connect with a new generation in order to motivate education and change.

I like this campaign because it utilizes two icons to generate product sales which will benefit others. By selling the VIVA GLAM products, the MAC AIDS Foundation can support its programs and grants that offer HIV tests, nutritious meals, free beauty tutorials to make people living with the disease feel better, and shelter for homeless people with HIV/AIDS. Together, Nicki and Ricky are creating buzz by taking to press releases, social media (below), and interviews to help fight the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. With the campaign’s print ad (above) shot by renowned photographer David LaChapelle and a behind the scenes video, VIVA GLAM brings you directly into the campaign and the foundation so you can be part of the change—one bold lip product at a time.